Communication Skills: Groups

The Communication Skills for Groups syllabus offers the opportunity for candidates at Grades 1–8 to be examined within a controlled interactive group context. The maximum number for a group is four.

This has been found a useful option by groups of children and adults who wish to practise and increase their expressive skills in interactive communication. It helps develop confidence in listening, logical expression, and asserting a point of view– skills that are necessary for many professions including the law, medicine, business, religion, education as well as for life. Teachers and tutors have found the stimulus provided by this syllabus helpful in developing the interactive speaking skills of less assertive individuals within a group context. Students taught as a group can be examined as a group.

Syllabus content is parallel with the Individual Communication Skills syllabus and at the Foundation level involves speaking in turn about a stimulus, and taking part in discussion. At Intermediate level, the group will together present a brief practical demonstration or a persuasive argument. Discussion on specific topics such as books, TV, current issues (as laid down in the syllabus) will also be part of the examination. At Advanced levels, interview, debate, and committee situations are simulated, together with discussion in which candidates are expected to take more or less equal parts.

Groups will recieve one written report for each group entry, but every member of a successful group will receive an individual certificate.